Monday, August 13, 2012

Barnaby's

Let me tell you one of my most cherished childhood memories. I was six years old, and I was at Barnaby's for my soccer team party. My dad and I both went to the washroom before eating to clean up a bit since we'd just had a game. My buddy Ian was also on the team and he followed behind us a bit to clean up as well. Now, just to give you a little background, both Ian's dad Mike and my dad loved to play pranks on each other, and it rubbed off on Ian and I. So my dad and I were in each of the stalls while some poor guy who looked like my dad was at the urinal. Ian snuck right up behind him, thinking it was my dad, and yanked his pants down. I walked out of the stall just in time to see this poor guy turn around and Ian bolt out of the bathroom faster than he'd run on the field all season. The point is that Barnaby's holds a special place in my heart.

Well this time around, we went for my buddy Danny's birthday. Our softball team had just finished a glorious victory and we went right down the road to celebrate.

Logistics
Barnaby's is a dimly lit, wood laden tavern of sorts. You order at the counter and wait till they call your number. Since it was a Sunday afternoon, there was no way we'd need a reservation. They've got plenty of parking, and it's a great place to bring a group.

We didn't really have an wait staff to mention, but I was happy with the amount of time we had to wait for our pizzas. We took over some large circular table in the back and grabbed a few pitchers of beer from the bar. A large pizza will serve 3-4 people for around $14. We were on the hungrier side and needed 5 pizzas for the 7 of us.

The Food
They've got some good appetizers, but we went straight for the pizza. We got one with pepperoni, one with sausage, one with veggies and garlic, and two straight cheese. Let's start with the crust. It's firm and chewy with a cornmeal dusting. While it's not as crispy as some, it does a wonderful job of holding up without getting all soggy. The sauce is just slightly sweet with a strong pure tomato taste. The cheese is heavy, and there's no lack of grease on these bad boys. If padding a slice with a paper napkin is your go to move, then you'll absolutely hate Barnaby's.

The Pepperoni

The Sausage

The Veggie

The Cheese

Overall
For square cut, thin crust pizza, Barnaby's is one of my favorites. It's more than just a childhood memory holder. It's not quite as good as Vito and Nick's, but it's way more accessible for those of us on the North side. I'm giving them 4 out of 5 Pearls.